Time-controlled actuating mechanism.



J. S. HOLLOWELL & A; GOTTSCHALK.

TIME CONTROLLED ACTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1914.

Patented May 2, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET1 THE Cowman PLANOGIIAPN c0.. WASHINGTON. D.

J. S. HOLLOWELL & A. GOTTSCHALK.

TIME CONTROLLED ACTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 28. I914.

Patented May 2, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH ,co, WASHINGTON, D c.

J. S. HOLLOWELL & A. GOTTSCHALK.

TIME CONTROLLED ACTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. 1914.

1, 181 ,888, Patented May 2, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- [IZUGIZZ OIi' Mt ssesk. v in es dFZbU/Cld 6" 0 Jam aozesc/mz/c JAMES S. HOLLOWELL AND ALBERT GOTTS-CHALK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TIME-CONTROLLED ACTUATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed March 28, 1914. Serial No. 827,915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J AMES S. HoLLowELL, a citizen of the United States, and ALBERT GoT'rsoHALK, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, (having declared his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States,) both residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Time-Controlled Actuating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention consists primarily of a device for automatically operating camera shutters after a predetermined lapse of time so that a photographer may set his camera for an exposure and have sufiicient time, for example, to enter a group which is to be photographed.

One Object of our invention is to produce a durable device of the above described type which will be of simple as well as compact construction, and which can be manufactured at a low cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means whereby a positive indication will be given when the camera shutter has been operated.

These objects and other advantages which will be described hereinafter we attain in the following manner reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a camera equipped with our invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of our invention showing certain of the parts in different positions from those shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line a-a Fig. 2; Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on the lines bb and crespectively Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a section on the line cZ-d Fig. Fig. 7 is a section on the line ee Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a section on the line ff Fig. 3; Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line gg Fig. 5; Fig. 10 is a fragmentary front elevation of certain of the elements of our invention; Figs. 11 and 12 are perspective views of certain details; Figs. 13 and 14 are elevations of modified forms of the invention; and Fig. 15 is a section on the line mm Fig. 13.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a casing which may be secured to a camera 2 of any ordinary construction by means of a bracket or other suitable member 3 as shown in Fig. 1. This casing 1 forms a bearing for a shaft 4 which has fixed to it a cam 5, a ratchet wheel 6, and one end of a spiral spring 7 whose second end is secured at 8 to the intenor of a ring 8 attached to said casing. One end of the shaft 4 passes through the rear of the casing and has a handle or winding lever 9 secured thereto. A gear wheel 10 is loosely mounted on the shaft 4 and carries a pawl 11 meshing with the ratchet 6 (see Fig. 6) with which it is held in contact by a spring 12 secured to said gear. The gear 10 imparts motion to a governor fan through a series or train of smaller gears 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, and said fan is normally prevented from rotating by means of a spring 21 mounted on the casing 1, with its curved upper end normally in engagement with a blade of said fan, as shown in full lines Fig. 6. A spindle 22 is journaled in the casing 1 and has fixed to it a releasing finger 23 and an arm 24. Said finger when turned by movement of the spindle 22 into the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 6, will move and hold the spring 21 out of engagement with the fan 20; while the arm 24 engages a stop or limiting member 25 when the finger 23 is substantially at right angles to the body of the spring 21 and thereby prevents further rotary movement of the spindle 22, finger 23 and arm 24. The spindle 22 extends through the casing and has secured to it a lever 26 so placed as to be engaged and moved by the handle 9 as hereafter described. The cam 5 has a slot 27 concentric with the shaft 4 and extending in an arc of slightly more than 180 in the present instance and a disk or plate 28 freely rotatable on the shaft 4, has a pin 29 secured thereto which extends into this slot.

A partition 30, having a circular opening 31 of large diameter, is mounted adjacent the front of the casing 1 which has a circular opening 32 concentric therewith so that the disk 28 is visible through said openings 31 and 32. The disk 28 carries a signal 33 preferably of white material having a central spot 34 of red or other color, which can be readily seen in contrast with the white. The partition has a series of slots 36 extending radially outward from the edge of its central opening and into these extend the pins respectively fixed to one end of each of a series of overlapping signal cover leaves formed by curved pieces of ship material 35 as shown in Fig. 11. A second pin 35 at the opposite end of each leaf partially engages the plate or disk 28. A covering of glass or other transparent material 38 is mounted in front of the partition 30 to prevent dirt from entering the casing.

The operating portion 39 of the cam 5 is designed to engage a lever 40, pivoted at 41 to the casing 1, and held in contact with said cam by means of a spring 42. This operating portion terminates in a shoulder 43 which engages the end 44 of the lever 40 when the mechanism has been properly wound as hereinafter described. A stop pin 45 projects from the rear of the casing 1 and serves as an additional means to determine when the mechanism has been properly wound. The lever 40 is so constructed that its free end 46 projects outside the casing 1 and may either directly engage and move the shutter operating lever 47 of the camera or may be connected by any suitable mechanism to such lever.

In Fig. 1 our invention is shown ready to actuate the shutter operating lever of a camera and the signal leaves 35 are shown covering the white portion of the signal plate 28. In Fig. 2 the device is shown with its parts in the positions occupied after it has actuated the shutter operating lever and it will be noted that the white signal plate with the central spot thereon may be plainly seen.

The operation of our invention as applied to a camera is as follows: Before the camera has been set for an exposure, the photographer moves the handle or winding lever 9 in the direction indicated by the arrow Z from the position shown in dotted lines at Z Fig. 9 until it abuts upon the sto pin 45. This operation winds the spring and moves the mechanism from the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 to the position shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. During the winding operation the cam 5 is moved in the direction of the arrow Fig. 4, until the end 27 of its slot 27 engages and moves the pin 29 and consequently the disk 28, into the positions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. The turning of said disk 28 moves the signal leaves 35 from their circumferential positions shown in Fig. 4 into the positions shown in Fig. 8 in which the entire area of the signal plate 33 is covered with the exception of the central colored spot 34. Also, during this winding operation, the end 46 of the lever 40 is moved into its upper position by means of the spring 42; the portion 43 of the cam 5 finally coming to rest against the end 44 of the lever 40. In the wound-up position of the mechanism, the lever 26 is in the position shown in dotted lines at m Fig. 9, and the spring 21 is in the position shown in full lines Fig. 6, so as to prevent the governor fan 20 from rotating; it being obvious that when the handle 9 is turned as just described the spring 7 will be wound and the ratchet 6 will rotate without moving the gear 10, since the pawl 11 will merely slide over the teeth thereof when said gear is moved in this direction. The photographer, when ready to take his place in the group to be photographed, moves the lever 26 from the position as to the position 3 Fig. 9 and there by moves the finger 23 into the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 6. As a result the spring 21 is moved out of engagement with the governor fan 20 which is then free to rotate. The shaft 4 and cam 5 will now rotate under the action of the spring 7 and after a predetermined interval, which is sufficient for the photographer to take position in the group to be photographed, the eccentric portion'39 of the cam 5 will engage and move the lever 40 downwardly causing it to actuate the shutter-operating lever of the camera. After the lever 40 has begun its downward movement, the pin 29 will be engaged and moved by the end 27 of the slot 27 (see Fig. 10) and since said pin 29 is secured to the disk 28 the latter will be given a partial rotation thus causing the signal leaves 35 to be swung on those pins which engage the partition 30 as pivots. As a result the central parts of said leaves move away from the spot 34 and finally reveal the white portion of the signal plate 33 as shown in Fig. 4. After the lever 46 by its downward movement, has effected the operation of the camera shutter, the handle 9 will engage and move the lever 26 into the position shown at y, whereupon the spring 21 will move the finger 23 into the position shown in full lines Fig. 6 and will engage and stop the governor fan 20. This latter movement is due to the fact that the handle 9 moves the lever 26 into such a position that it brings the finger 23 at an angle to the body of the spring 21 which then tends to push the said finger out of its way in order that it may move into its normal position with its upper curved end extending into the path of the governor fan 20. With this construction the mechanism is automatically stopped and held during rewinding and until it is to be again operated. The only manual operation necessary is the turning of the handle 9 a part of a revolution and, when it is desired to operate the mechanism, the movement of the lever 26 into the position shown at 1 Fig. 9.

As a result of the peculiar construction and operation above described the lever 26, rod 22, finger 23 and spring 21 will automatically stop the mechanism without materially jarring it ;this being a valuable feature of our invention especially when used on cameras where vibration or jar would be highly objectionable. It should also be noted that this mechanism is positive in its action since it cannot be started until the lever 26 is moved into the position shown at y. During the Winding operation the cam will be turned in the direction of the arrow A, Fig. 4 and the disk 28 will be moved by the end 27 of the slot 27 engaging and moving the pin 29 which is secured to the disk 28. This causes the signal leaves 35 to move toward the spot 3i and thereby cover the white portion of the signal plate 33.

In the modification shown in Fig. 14 the movement of the actuating lever is caused by the spring 42, so that the spring 7 is relieved of a portion of the work otherwise required.

In the form of our invention shown in Figs. 13 and 15, instead of employing a pivoted lever 40 we use a rack-bar 40 whose teeth mesh with those of a pinion 40* on the shaft 4. In this case the rack-bar -10 will receive a straight line movement and can be employed for moving the shutter operating lever of the camera; in this construction the slot 27 is formed in a disk 5 which is secured to the shaft 4.

In the use of our invention the signal is very distinct and may be plainly seen at a great distance from the camera; it being noted that the construction is such that the leaves 35 will start to move a short time before the lever 40 has moved suflieiently to actuate the camera shutter. Therefore, as soon as any portion of the white signal is displayed, the persons being photographed will know that the picture is about to be taken and will have time to properly pose themselves before the shutter of the camera is opened.

By having the shoulder 13 of the cam so positioned that it will engage the end 44 of the lever 40 it is impossible to overwind the spring 7 and the stop pin 45 serves as an additional and visible means for indicating when said spring has been properly wound.

\Vhile we have specifically described our invention as a shutter operating device for cameras, it is obvious that it may be used for many purposes where it is desired to actuate a lever or other device after a predetermined lapse of time.

lVe claim 1. The combination of a member to be actuated: a signal; a cover for the signal; and an automatic device including common means for operating said member and for moving the cover from the signal to display the latter.

The combination in an automatic actuating device of a signal; a plurality of members each forming a partial cover for said signal; and means for automatically moving said members to display the signal.

3. The combination of an actuating member; a signal; a cover for the signal; means for moving the cover to display the signal;

with colnlnon means for thereafter moving said cover to conceal the signal and re-set the actuating member.

l. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal: a cover for the signal; means operable to move said lever into an actuating position and to move said cover to display the signal: and a single device for thereafter moving the cover to conceal the signal and return said member to its initial position.

5. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal; a plurality of leaves forming a cover for the signal and movable to uncover the same after the lever has moved into its operating position; with common means for returning the lever to its initial position and for moving the leaves to again cover the signal.

6. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal; two members movable relatively to each other; a cover for the signal including a plurality of leaves each having one end connected to one of said members and the other end connected to the other member; and means for moving one of said members relatively to the other to move the leaves away from the signal.

7. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal; two members movable relatively to each other; a cover for the signal including a plurality of leaves each having one end connected to one of said members and the other end connected to the other member; means for moving one of said members relatively to the other to move the leaves away from the signal; with a single device for returning the lever to its initial position and for again operating one of the members to move the leaves so as to cover the signal.

8. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; two members movable relatively to each other; a signal; a cover for the signal including a plurality of movable leaves each connected to both of said members: a cam for actuating said lever: and means for moving the cam, one of said members having a portion movable by the cam during part of its possible movement to move the leaves away from the signal.

9. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; twomemhers movably relatively to each other; a signal; a cover for the signal including a plurality of movable leaves each connected to both of said members; a cam; means for moving the cam. one of said members having a portion movable by the cam during part of its movement to move the leaves away from the signal; and additional means for moving said. cam to cause the return of the lever to its initial position and the moving of the leaves over the signal.

10. The combination in an automatic actuating machine of an actuating lever; a signal; a movable cover for the signal; and a device including a single spring for moving the lever and the cover.

11. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal; a cover for the signal; a shaft; a spring for turning said shaft to effect movement of the lever in one direction and to move the cover away from the signal; and independent means for moving the lever and cover to their initial positions.

12. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal; a cover for the signal; common means for moving the lever into an actuating position and for moving the cover away from the signal; and means for automatically stopping the movement of the lever and cover.

13. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal; a cover for the signal; spring operated mechanism for moving the lever into an actuating position and for moving the cover away from said signal, and a device for automatically stopping said mechanism after said moven'ient of the cover said de vice including means for holding the mechanism to permit of rewinding.

ll. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lover; a sig nal; a cover for the signal; spring operated mechanism for moving the lever into an actuating position and for moving the cm er away from the signal; means for governing the movement of said mechanism; and a device for engaging the governing means to automatically stop said mechanism after movement of the cover, said device including means for holding the met-hwnism to permit of rewinding.

The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lover; a signal plate; a signal on the plate; a cover for the signal connected to the plate; a slotted cam in engagement with said lever; a pin on said plate extending into the slot in the cam; and means for imparting rotary moi ement to the cam to operate the device.

10. The combination in an automatic actuating devi e of a supporting structure; an actuating lever; a shaft; a slotted cam in engagement with the lever and secured to the shaft; a plate movably mounted on said shaft; a member secured to the supporting structure: a signal on said plate; a signal cover connected to the plate and to said member; a driving spring connected to the shaft and to the supporting structure; means for turning said shaft to Wind the spring said means being connected to also move the cover over the signal and to per mit the movement of the lever to its nor mal position; means for automatically sto ping and holding the mechanism in such position; with means for releasing the stopping and holding means to permitthe spring to turn the shaft.

17. The combination in an automatic actua ing device of an actuating lever; a signal; a cover for the signal; spring operated mechanism connected to move the lever into an actuating position and to also move the cover away from the signal after such move ment of said lever; a winding lever for said mechanism; means for governing the movement of said mechanism; a stop member normally in engagement with the governing means; means for moving said member out of engagement with the governing means to permit operation thereof until the lever has been actuated and the signal uncovered thereof, said member-moving means being placed to be actuated by a movable portion of the mechanism to cause said member to reengage and tl'ierel iy stop the mechanism.

18. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal; a cover for the signal; spring operated mechanism connected to move the lever into an actuated position and to move the cover away from the signal; a winding lever for said mechanism; means for governing the operating of the mechanism; a spring member normally in engagement with the governing means; and means for moving the spring member out of engagement with the governing means to permit operation thereof, said latter means being placed to be operated by the winding lever to cause said spring memher to engage the governing means and thereby stop the mechanism.

if). The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal; a cover for the signal; spring operated mechanism for moving the lever into actuating position and for moving the cover away from the signal after such movement of the lever; a winding lever for said mechanism; means for governing the operation of said mechanism; a spring normally in engagement with the governing means to prevent operation thereof; a rod; a finger and an arm on the rod; said arm being movable to turn the rod and thereby cause the finger to move and hold the spring out of engagement with the governing means to permit operation thereof, said arm being placed to be actuated by the winding lever to move the finger into a position where the spring will move it out of its way and thereby reiingage the governing means to stop the same.

20. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lover; a signal;

a cover for the signal; a shaft; 9, driving spring for the shaft; a ratchet Wheel secured to the shaft to move the lever and the signal cover; a gear; a pawl carried by the gear and movable by the ratchet in one direction; a train of gears connected to said first gear; a governing fan driven by said gears; means for automatically stopping the fan; and means connected to the shaft for Winding said spring and resetting the lever and cover.

21. The combination in an actuating device of an actuating lever; a shaft; a cam mounted on the shaft and having a shoulder; means for holding the lever in engagement with the cam; a spring for moving said cam; and means for rotating the shaft to wind the spring; said shoulder being positioned to form an abutment to prevent the overwinding of the spring.

22. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; a signal; a cover for the signal; common mechanism for automatically actuating the lever and for moving the cover from the signal to display the latter; and means for returning the lever and cover to their normal positions.

23. The combination in an automatic actuating device of an actuating lever; two members movable relatively to each other; a signal; a cover for the signal including a plurality of movable leaves, each connected to both of said members; and means for actuating said lever, one of said relatively movable members having a portion movable by said latter means during part of its possible movement to move the leaves away from the signal.

24. In an automatic actuating device, a supporting structure; an actuating lever; spring-operated mechanism for moving said lever; means including a second lever for winding said mechanism; a member automatically movable into engagement with said mechanism to stop movement thereof; a rod movably carried by said supporting structure; a lever and a finger on said rod, said latter lever being positioned to be moved by said Winding lever to cause move- JAMES S. HOLLOlVELL. ALBERT GOTTSCHALK.

Witnesses:

AUGUSTUS B. Corrns, Jos. H. KLEIN.

copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of intents.

Washington, D. c 

